Phil Gorman

@philgorman.bsky.social

Born: 310 ppm Spouse, granddad to 3 Slave to cat, dogs, chooks Ex ship's officer, teacher, principal, adult educator Aspie, agnostic, democratic socialist Likes: the bush, photography, landscaping, camping, sailing, Concerns: AGW, inequality, neoliberalism

Activists from Melbourne's Camp Sovereignty say they have been deeply traumatised after a member of their group was assaulted at the Indigenous protest site. On Sunday night, Ash Ni Mara, 37, was allegedly attacked by two strangers attempting to extinguish the campfire.

Police hunt for offenders after alleged assault on Camp Sovereignty

Victoria Police are investigating an allegation of assault at Camp Sovereignty with a 37-year-old victim treated for facial injuries.

abc.net.au

We're witnessing Western governments stretching the definition of terrorism. Will the next video makers exposing gross animal cruelty or modern slavery in our agricultural sectors be guilty of terrorism? ABC's 4 Corners had better watch out. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Vandalism of Melbourne defence manufacturer being investigated as terrorist act by ‘far-left extremists’

Video from group claiming responsibility for arson attack raised prospect of further vandalism or targeted action and said ‘Stop arming Israel or else’

theguardian.com

AU. Aboriginal police officers in the NT underpaid and racially abused, a new class action alleges Aboriginal community police officers in the NT Police Force allege they were subject to racial discrimination while serving. www.sbs.com.au/news/article...

Aboriginal police officers in the NT underpaid and racially abused, a new class action alleges

Aboriginal community police officers in the NT Police Force allege they were subject to racial discrimination while serving.

sbs.com.au

🙄 One Nation’s new Victorian leader Warren Pickering promoted the debunked "15-minute city" conspiracy theory, claiming "globalist bureaucrats" wanted to restrict how Australians live. Experts warn conspiracy theories can gain greater legitimacy and reach when amplified by prominent politicians. 😒

The NYT paints a portrait of the world of Heritage and Atlas in 2026. A link to a fascinating article...or another weedsy post for the people interested in following the Atlas Network story. Your choice. lucyham29.substack.com/p/the-nyt-pa...

The NYT paints a portrait of the world of Heritage and Atlas in 2026

A link to a fascinating article...or another weedsy post for the people interested in following the Atlas Network story. Your choice.

lucyham29.substack.com

🧵Thanks to @jimchalmers.bsky.social for not making being widowed harder. My husband died out of the blue not that long after Covid, and I had chosen to return to study instead of work after that interruption. Being stripped of a credit card (and no right to my own) felt humiliating. All bills to be

I didn’t think about super until I got divorced. Here’s what I’d tell my 25-year-old self https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/i-didnt-think-about-super-until-i-got-divorced-heres-what-id-tell-my-25-year-old-self/ #AUSpol

I didn’t think about super until I got divorced. Here’s what I’d tell my 25-year-old self

More Australian women are retiring into poverty than ever before. On average, we retire with somewhere between 22 and 35 per cent less super than men, and then live an average of around four years longer. More life, less money. It’s the effect of a gap that starts small and expands unevenly as the system effectively penalises choices many women make: time away from the workforce to raise children, part time work and second careers begun later in life. We’re a month into Payday Super legislation coming into effect across Australia, meaning your employer now pays your super at the same time as your wage rather than quarterly. Your money is paid earlier, so it’s invested sooner, and unpaid super becomes much easier to see. It’s good policy that will help people grow their balances faster. But we need to do a lot more to help prevent the transition into an under-funded retirement that many women are facing. According to REI Super data, the average difference between men’s and women’s balances is about $4,000 in your 20s. By retirement, that gap grows to around $67,000 – accumulated over a career while we’re busy working, paying mortgages and raising families. On average, men retire with roughly $192,000 and women around $125,000, and yet the Association of Superannuation Funds Australia (ASFA) suggests around $630,000 is needed for a comfortable retirement. Clearly, there’s work to do. I consider myself fortunate because I was forced to look at my superannuation in time to do something about it. But I often think about how much further ahead I’d be if someone had sat me down in my 20s and told me the facts about how the system works. When I was 25, superannuation was the last thing on my mind. I was building a career, thinking about the next promotion, the next deal, everything in front of me. Retirement was a distant concept I’d worry about later. Like a lot of women, I told myself I’d focus on the long-term stuff once life settled down. Of course, life doesn’t usually settle, it just keeps life-ing. When I took time out of the workforce to become a mother, I had very little super behind me. Years later, I was navigating a separation and had to divide a self-managed super fund that I’d entered into without properly understanding what it would mean if my circumstances changed. That was the moment super stopped being an abstraction for me, because I was faced with very real numbers that needed to grow, a lot. My super went from an ordinary fund that was set up with my first job into an SMSF which dissolved through my separation, and I’ve since rebuilt with the benefit of education and quality financial advice. I hope that by sharing my story, I can help expand the conversation so that more women build a better future for themselves while their leverage is strongest. I recently hosted a three-part podcast series called _Future-Proof: Women’s Financial Wellbeing in Real Estate_ , to shine light on real women’s stories and practical, expert advice. One of my guests, Khyati Halani from REI Super, said the $4,000 to $67,000 average gap isn’t the result of one big mistake, it’s small differences that compound over time: _“It’s a result of ignoring small things and leaving everything on autopilot.”_ Leaving things on autopilot is part of the reason we’re behind with super. Here’s what else I took from our conversation, and what I’d tell my 25-year-old self (not financial advice!): 1. Addressing your super doesn’t require much more than 15-30 minutes once a year. Find your super (many of us have more than one account, and the ATO says there’s around $18.9 billion in lost Australian super!), stay on top of it, and know your numbers. Set an annual date to check on your superannuation and take action, however small. 2. Look at how your super is invested, and seek advice based on your goals and career stage. Many of us still have our funds sitting in whichever default investment was allocated when the account was opened. 3. Review your insurance, and check who your beneficiaries are. Super doesn’t automatically go to your family; it goes to whoever you last nominated on the account. One of my guests discovered entirely by chance that her entire balance was still nominated to an ex-husband, long after divorce and remarriage. 4. If you’re a consultant, commission-based worker or business owner, you may have fallen into the trap of not paying yourself any super at all. Treat yourself like an employee when it comes to super, because no amount of payment-timing reform can help if there is simply not enough capital flowing in. The more we can talk openly and normalise the superannuation conversation, the more women will take action to help close the gap. I can’t go back, but I’m committed to elevating the superannuation conversation so that more women can access the information and prompts for action that I wish I’d had. _Sadhana Smiles is the CEO of Real Estate Industry Partners (REIP). REIP’s “Future-Proof” three-part podcast series, produced in partnership with REI Super, can be found on REIP’s “Beyond the Numbers” podcast. Episode 1 can be listened to_ _here_ _._ _**This article contains general information only and is not financial advice; seek advice appropriate to your own circumstances.**_ Share this careerdivorcesuper by Sadhana Smiles 5 hours ago ## Stay Smart! Get Women's Agenda in your inbox * Email * Comments This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. 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womensagenda.com.au

Tony Fauci’s COVID advice was shaped by evidence as it emerged. The Republican attempt to criminalise that advice is not accountability – it is vindictive politics dressed up as science, John Dwyer writes. #COVID19 #Trump #Science

The hounding of Tony Fauci shows Trump’s ugly America

The attacks on Tony Fauci over COVID-19 advice, masks, gain-of-function research and rejected treatments are vindictive politics dressed up as accountability.

pearlsandirritations.com

“Terrorism” is applied to enemies of the US and its allies, but rarely to western-aligned state violence. That selective language obscures power, corrupts public debate and normalises genocide, John Menadue writes. #auspol #Gaza #Terrorism

Israel is losing the public opinion battle in the US. Refaat Ibrahim warns that Netanyahu’s attempt to present Gaza as a war fought for all Jews risks fuelling the very anti-Jewish hostility Israel claims to oppose. #Gaza #Israel #USPolitics

Israel is losing America – and endangering Jews

Israel’s war in Gaza has eroded support across the US political spectrum, while Netanyahu’s claim to act for all Jews risks fuelling the very anti-Jewish hostility Israel says it opposes.

pearlsandirritations.com

An investigation into alleged torture by Israeli settlers and soldiers in the West Bank has been closed without charges. It comes amid record settler violence and almost no accountability, Stephen Prager writes. #WestBank #Israel #Palestine